While his ceiling in the Bellator MMA middleweight division remains somewhat uncertain, John Salter has a well-established floor as a seasoned and respected gatekeeper.
The longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will put his veteran skills to work when he takes on former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Aaron Jeffery in a featured Bellator 293 attraction on Friday at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. Salter finds himself on the rebound following back-to-back losses. He last appeared at Bellator 276, where he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against the undefeated Johnny Eblen on March 12, 2022. Jeffery, meanwhile, enters his latest assignment on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. He last competed on Aug. 12, when he put away Austin Vanderford with punches 1:25 into the first round of their Bellator 284 encounter.
As Salter and Jeffery move ever closer to their confrontation at 185 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
38: Years of age for Salter, who was born on March 21, 1985 in Gardendale, Alabama.
10: Salter wins by submission, accounting for 56% of his career total (18). His methods of choice: five rear-naked chokes, two arm-triangle chokes, two triangle chokes and one armbar. Salter holds seven other wins by knockout or technical knockout (39%) and one more by decision (5%).
100: Seconds needed for Salter to bury Claudio Annicchiarico with punches at Bellator 168 on Dec. 10, 2016. More than six years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
4: Countries in which Salter has competed as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 13-6 in the United States, 3-0 in Canada, 1-0 in Italy and 1-0 in Israel.
128: Combined victories between the six opponents—Eblen, Gegard Mousasi, Rafael Lovato Jr., Reggie Pena, Dan Miller and Gerald Harris—who have defeated Salter. They boast a cumulative .799 winning percentage at 128-31-3.
30: Years of age for Jeffery, who was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario, on Nov. 14, 1992.
9: Jeffery victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 69% of his career total (13). His list of victims includes Vanderford, Fabio Aguiar, Andre Petroski and Bruno Assis. Jeffery owns one other victory by submission (8%) and three more by decision (23%).
11: Companies for which Jeffery has suited up as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 2-1 in Cage Fury Fighting Championships, 2-0 in Bellator, 2-0 in BTC Fight Promotions, 1-0 in the Legacy Fighting Alliance, 1-0 in Standout Fighting Tournament, 1-0 in Combat Zone, 1-0 in Honor Fighting Championship, 1-0 in King of the Cage, 1-0 in the North American Allied Fight Series, 1-0 in Ohio Fighting Championship and 0-2 in Dana White’s Contender Series.
7: Men other than Jeffery who have held the CFFC middleweight crown. They are Miller, Dustin Jacoby, Tim Williams, Anthony Smith, Kyle Daukaus, Collin Huckbody and Donovan Beard.
.875: Cumulative winning percentage between the three opponents—Caio Borralho, Brendan Allen and Sean Brady—who have beaten Jeffery. They sport a combined record of 49-7.
More must-reads: